http://mmajunkie.comJohn Alessio (29-14), who tonight meets late-notice replacement Luiz Firmino (13-5) in the headliner of Superior Cage Combat 3 in Las Vegas, said he had an easy time moving from welterweight to lightweight with the help of Mike Dolce.

Dolce was there for Alessio every step of the way, emailing meal suggestions and encouragement as the weight began to come off.

Even after cutting the last four pounds, Alessio today told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) that he felt “pretty damn good.”

So when Alessio heard the news that fellow Dolce client Thiago Alves initially missed weight for a fight Saturday at UFC 138, he wasn’t inclined to believe the meticulous nutritionist had a misstep. More plausible, he said, is the circumstances around the weigh-in.

“It could have been a number of things, like … the scale they were using while they were cutting weight was just a little off from the official scale,” Alessio said. “That happens quite a bit.”

While many would point to the fight’s location in Birmingham, England, as a potential source of Alves’ problems, Alessio said Dolce works out in advance the fuel his clients will need before they fight, wherever that is. Even if a fighter has to adjust to a big time difference, its effect is accounted for in the nutritional plan.

“I just think it had to do with the scale, maybe,” Alessio said. “Being a pound off, that’s not really a big deal. It’s when you’re three pounds off, and you don’t make it. That’s when you’re like, ‘What the hell went wrong?'”

For Alessio, so much has gone right that it’s hard not to wonder why he didn’t fight as a lightweight earlier in his career. The answer is that with a seven-fight win streak at his usual weight of 170 pounds, it was hard to consider fixing something that at the time wasn’t broken. Teammates in the gym gave him mixed reviews about the move and said he might be oversized at lightweight but underpowered. On the other hand, he consistently felt undersized at welterweight.

A loss in March to 170-pound fighter Siyar Bahadurzada, which likely nixed a pending UFC contract, turned the tide for the veteran fighter.

“It took me a while to say I’ve had enough and cut the weight,” Alessio said. “I’m in my prime right now. I’m very focused, and I’m training hard. Why not do it now?”

Enter Dolce, who has built a reputation as a go-to guy for fighters looking to retool their physiques. Alessio is looking forward to turning over a new leaf. Firmino starts the journey after original opponent Rob Emerson was forced out of tonight’s fight due to injury.

“At first, I was like, ‘Oh man, not again my opponent dropped out.’ It happened in the last SCC show,” Alessio said. “I was really in a panic. I need to fight; this is my job.

“This time, we had two weeks’ notice, so I was very confident we’d get somebody. And when Firmino’s name came up, I was like, ‘Wow, this is good.’ Now the fans are going to get an even better main event. I believe he’s way more well-rounded and tougher than Emerson; no disrespect to Rob.

“[Firmino] has fought in PRIDE numerous times. His losses are only to big names. For me, to come to lightweight, I didn’t want an easy fight. I wanted to make a splash on the scene, let everyone know that I’m for real in this weight class, and watch out.”

With the right fuel, Alessio feels that statement is soon to be delivered.

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